Red Tea Box
696 Queen St. West
Phone: 416.203.8882
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The Red Tea Box sells spectacular fondant dessert creations, boasts a sparkling coach house slash tea room in the back and has an excellent selection of loose leaf teas. There may be "no outside food", "no reservations", "no groups larger than six" and the "last seating is one and a half hours before closing" but if you can find your way around the constraints, it's worth stopping by to see (and eat) the pretty.
Comments (13)
TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT. Although the food and presentation are very pleasant, Red Tea Box is an absolute disaster when it comes to customer service, especially for families with little children well versed in the art of dining in public "adult" type spaces. To be specific, the manager is so rude, it is shocking. The same has been said by others in their dealings with her on issues unrelated to children. Shame for this cute establishment that has worked so hard on creating a wonderful niche in the culinary world. Something as simple as manners lacking can hurt when the word spreads quickly.
i can't agree with Catherine more. I do not have little children however I have had the same unfortunate experience, shame on we more than once. This women is the rudest individual I have ever come in contact with. I love the food at the red tea box however she is enough reason never to go back and to make sure no one you know ever goes there either.
The woman owner is deservedly getting such a bad reputation for her rudeness all over the internet. I wish someone would boot her out and takeover with the same recipes because the food is divine. Nevertheless, I still go there every once in a blue moon and just avoid her.
the red tea box is a cute idea. with a cute patio.
but whoever the lady is upfront (asian woman) should get fired. and if she owns the place, she should get some lessons on how to deal with customers.
the food was okay. we got the beef sandwich and mushroom soup. the sandwich was tasty. so was the soup, but it was obvious that it was reheated. i didn't have to blow on my soup or wait for it to cool down (like their tea) to have some.
and the biggest disappointment (besides poor management) was dessert. the bill came up to $35, which is fine, but not if almost half of it was spent on a chocolate malt layered cake that was old (it was too crumbly). too much fondant, little cake. i feel like i paid $11 just to eat fondant.
all in all...i'd probably go back. but like anonymous, i'll just avoid the b!tch (or maybe just bitch at her back) and have dessert elsewhere.
Everyone seems to hate the staff @ the Red Tea Box, but I've never had any issues. I've been many times and always found them to be quite nice. It has a quiet tranquil atmosphere, which people who visit have to keep in mind.
I find a lot of times people want to go for loud socialization, laughing, joking etc. but this isn't the place for that (if that's what you want go to a pub). You can't change the atmosphere to fit the people, the people have to respect the atmosphere.
Also, it's definitely not a place for children.
It's ideal for relaxing, chilling with friends, light casual gossip over a warm cup of tea and mouth watering food.
thanks everyone for your comments. i've seen this tea shop and thought it was absolutely adorable, especially with the cute desserts, but to me customer service is very important. i wonder why the frontlady is such a tight ass. i thought i read that people who drink tea are less irritable, happy individuals.
as for the comment saying that the place is not for socializing or children... not everyone is a single person without kids who wants to go to a cafe and sit alone... (i'm single without kids and i occasionally like to sit places alone, so i'm speaking quite objectively).
if you're in the public eye running an establishment as people-friendly as a cafe, your establishment should be kid friendly, and definitely friendly to people who want to socialize! you can't put people in a social atmosphere (tea drinking, which since the beginning of time was about getting together at tea time with people and chatting).. and then expect everyone to sit in silence...?! what's up with that..
she sounds like a rather bitter lady, unfortunately, because her tea shop looks quite cute and i would love to visit it but customer service is very important to me... i'm one of those letter-writing people who can't stand poor customer service. i'm not going to waste my time or money there, especially since there's lots of cute places with tea and desserts to go visit... maybe not all in the same place, but that'll just mean i'll have to go to two different places .. oh darn.. ;o)
thanks again for your comments!
I just called to make a reservation or just to know what I would expect if i came there. The woman on the phone was a horrible B****!! I was shocked! I guess I expected something very warm and welcoming and she was exactly the opposite! The four of us are not going there, EVER!!! Poor thing. I hope she changes her ways, for her own sake. 8 May, 2009
@ anon - someone's a little sensitive.
if you think it's some sort of ad hominem or some racist comment, it isn't. i'm not saying she's rude because she's asian.
i was just being specific.
I have had extremely pleasant experiences at the Red Tea Box for several years now. I love it! I can't believe it when I hear how many people have had 'awful' experiences with the staff there! It is fantastic. Asian fusion, like a real tea room should be!
Also, in response to the conversation between anon and melissa - when you need to specify someone's race, especially on a website where restaurant reviews are the mandate, well... it's pretty redundant at this point what the predisposition is.
I went there this past Sat and was terrified from all the reviews- thankfully I didnt listen.. the food was fantastic. our waitress was very helpful in choosing teas, we even had to wait 45 mins for a guest in our party to show up and no one pressured us to order or anything- I will go there again!
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